Method and system for defect detection

1. A method for defect detection, the method comprising: retrieving a second pixel of a second image of an object that corresponds to a tested pixel of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third pixel of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieving a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; comparing between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel; and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising: retrieving a sixth pixel of the second image that corresponds to a fifth pixel of the first image; searching a seventh pixel of the first image such that a neighborhood of the seventh pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the sixth pixel; retrieving an eight eighth pixel of the second image that corresponds to the seventh pixel; and comparing between a neighborhood of the fifth pixel and a neighborhood of the eighth pixel.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the different acquisition methods comprise a transmission acquisition method and a reflective acquisition method.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the stage of finding comprises finding a third pixel such that the neighborhood of the third pixel is an approximate nearest neighborhood of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises M elements and wherein the stage of finding the third pixel comprises utilizing an N-dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel; wherein M>N.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the stage of finding comprises applying a principal component analysis in order to generate the N-dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the stage of finding comprises searching an N-dimensional KD-tree.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising selecting a defect detection method in response to a resource consumption level of the defect detection method and a suitableness of the defect detection method.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises multiple coarse resolution pixels and multiple fine resolution pixels; wherein the multiple fine pixels represents a portion of the neighborhood.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising performing sub-pixel registration before comparing the fourth and tested pixels.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the stage of receiving a request is preceded by: selecting pixels within the first image and within the second image; and generating representations of neighborhoods of the selected pixels.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein further comprising searching for multiple pixels of the second image that have neighborhoods that match a neighborhood of the second pixel.

13. The method according to claim 12 further comprising repeating the searching for multiple tested pixels and generating statistics representative of number of pixels found during the searching.

14. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a synthetic image by replacing tested pixels by reference pixels.

15. A system for defect detection, the system comprises: a memory unit adapted to store information representative of neighborhoods of pixels within a first image of an object and within a second image of an object; and a processor, coupled to the memory unit, the processor is adapted to: retrieve a second pixel of the second image that corresponds to a tested pixel of the first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; search a third pixel of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieve a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; and compare between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein the processor is adapted to: retrieve a sixth pixel of the second image that corresponds to a fifth pixel of the first image; search a seventh pixel of the first image such that a neighborhood of the seventh pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the sixth pixel; retrieve an eight eighth pixel of the second image that corresponds to the seventh pixel; and compare between a neighborhood of the fifth pixel and a neighborhood of the eighth pixel.

17. The system according to claim 15 wherein the different acquisition methods comprise a transmission acquisition method and a reflective acquisition method.

18. The system according to claim 15 wherein the wherein the processor is adapted to: find a third pixel such that the neighborhood of the third pixel is an approximate nearest neighborhood of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

19. The system according to claim 15 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises M elements and wherein the processor is adapted to utilize an N-dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel; wherein M>N.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the processor is adapted to apply a principal component analysis in order to generate the N-dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

21. The system according to claim 19 the processor is adapted to search an N-dimensional KD-tree.

22. The system according to claim 15 the processor is adapted to select a defect detection method in response to a resource consumption level of the defect detection method and a suitableness of the defect detection method.

23. The system according to claim 15 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises multiple coarse resolution pixels and multiple fine resolution pixels; wherein the multiple fine pixels represents a portion of the neighborhood.

24. The system according to claim 15 the processor is adapted to perform a sub-pixel registration before comparing the fourth and tested pixels.

25. The system according to claim 15 wherein the processor is adapted to select pixels within the first image and within the second image; and generate representations of neighborhoods of the selected pixels.

26. The system according to claim 15 wherein the processor is adapted to wherein the processor is further adapted to generate a synthetic image by replacing tested pixels by reference pixels.

27. A non-transitory computer readable program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for defect detection, the computer readable code comprising instructions for: retrieving a second pixel of a second image of an object that corresponds to a tested pixel of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third pixel of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieving a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; and comparing between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel; and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

28. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for: retrieving a sixth pixel of the second image that corresponds to a fifth pixel of the first image; searching a seventh pixel of the first image such that a neighborhood of the seventh pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the sixth pixel; retrieving an eight eighth pixel of the second image that corresponds to the seventh pixel; and comparing between a neighborhood of the fifth pixel and a neighborhood of the eighth pixel.

29. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for finding a third pixel such that the neighborhood of the third pixel is an approximate nearest neighborhood of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

30. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises M elements and wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for utilizing an N dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel; wherein M>N.

31. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 30 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for applying a principal component analysis in order to generate the N-dimensional representation of the neighborhood of the second pixel.

32. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 30 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for searching an N dimensional KD-tree.

33. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for selecting a defect detection method in response to a resource consumption level of the defect detection method and a suitableness of the defect detection method.

34. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the neighborhood of the second pixel comprises multiple coarse resolution pixels and multiple fine resolution pixels; wherein the multiple fine pixels represent a portion of the neighborhood.

35. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for performing sub-pixel registration before comparing the fourth and tested pixels.

36. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the computer-readable code comprises instructions for selecting pixels within the first image and within the second image; and generating representations of neighborhoods of the selected pixels.

37. The non-transitory computer readable program product of claim 27 wherein the different acquisition methods comprise a transmission acquisition method and a reflective acquisition method.

38. A method for defect detection, the method comprising: retrieving a second pixel of a second image of an object that corresponds to a tested pixel of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third pixel within multiple images of the object such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieving a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; comparing between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel; and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

39. A method for defect detection, the method comprising: retrieving a second feature of a second image of an object that corresponds to a first feature of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third feature of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second feature is similar to a neighborhood of the third feature; retrieving a fourth feature of the first image that corresponds to the third feature; and comparing between the first feature and the fourth feature and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

40. A non-transitory computer readable program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for defect detection, the computer readable code comprising instructions for: retrieving a second pixel of a second image of an object that corresponds to a tested pixel of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third pixel within multiple images of the object such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieving a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; and comparing between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel; and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

41. A non-transitory computer readable program product having computer-readable code embodied therein for defect detection, the computer readable code comprising instructions for: retrieving a second feature of a second image of an object that corresponds to a first feature of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; searching a third feature of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second feature is similar to a neighborhood of the third feature; retrieving a fourth feature of the first image that corresponds to the third feature; and comparing between the first feature and the fourth feature; and identifying defects in the object based on the comparison.

42. A system for defect detection, the system comprising: a memory unit adapted to store information representative of neighborhoods of pixels within a first image of an object; and a processor, coupled to the memory unit, the processor adapted to: retrieve a second pixel of a second image of the object that corresponds to a tested pixel of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; search a third pixel within multiple images of the object such that a neighborhood of the second pixel is similar to a neighborhood of the third pixel; retrieve a fourth pixel of the first image that corresponds to the third pixel; and compare between the tested pixel and the fourth pixel.

43. A system for defect detection, the system comprising: a memory unit adapted to store information representative of neighborhoods of pixels within a first image of an object; and a processor, coupled to the memory unit, the processor adapted to: retrieve a feature of a second image of the object that corresponds to a first feature of a first image of the object; wherein the first and second images were obtained using different acquisition methods; search a third feature of the second image such that a neighborhood of the second feature is similar to a neighborhood of the third feature; retrieve a fourth feature of the first image that corresponds to the third feature; and compare between the first feature and the fourth feature.